Where is my church? Where is the church that has the highest reverence for the Eucharist? Where are my brothers and sisters who reverently receive the Eucharist knowing that is it Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity?
It is still here, they are still here. No matter what the internal whirlwind has spit out the truth cannot be changed. There are those who have lost their belief in the Eucharist and live within their own interpretation and it is these souls I pray for as well as their priests who may not stand up and be courageous in speaking the doctrinal teachings which have always guided the ship. No matter what teachings are distorted, the truth remains and it always has and always will.
So I keep my eye on the truth of Jesus Christ through our Holy Mother Church that has not faltered in her teachings. Men may come and try and restructure the truth, but they will not succeed. One cannot destroy what God has created, so in that I find my peace.
Many men, civilizations, rulers, emperors, other faiths, since the moment of Christ's birth have tried to destroy the Light of this Life and have not done so. They will not succeed now.
"The Man of the true religious tradition understands two things: liberty and obedience. The first means knowing what you really want. The second means knowing what you really trust."
G.K. Chesterton
The heart of Christ, the Sacred Heart is present in the Eucharist. The Eucharistic Miracles that have been scientifically tested have shown that they are all found to be human heart tissue and DNA has been detected but undefinable, blood AB+. Every one. These are Eucharistic Miracles, undefinable by todays secular standards, never has happened with anything else, never has happened anywhere else except in the Catholic Church.
This means that those of us who are privileged to attend Mass in a free society actually WITNESS A MIRACLE Every time we witness the Consecration of the Bread to the Body of Christ by the anointed hands of our priests. This is why those who are persecuted risk their lives. The Eucharist becomes Him, He gives us His Heart to unite to ours.
This is beyond all comprehension but it is true. Listen to Him:
"I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." John 6 Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you." John 6
He keeps HIS word to us everyday, every minute, somewhere in the world a priest is Consecrating bread to true flesh. He is giving His heart, His Flesh, His Blood His Sacred Heart to Us. He is continually giving and giving and giving His love. I pray that we recognize Him in the Breaking of the Bread, because He is there.
It has been a while since I have written anything. During Mass or during prayer time outside, I am always inspired by something that I must write about but then when I get the chance to sit it doesn't come as easily as it did during the inspiratory period. Go figure.
So it has been a little unsettling in the world. We need to be standing strong against those who want to destroy us, I hear some in a position to make a difference speak out faintly but I become frustrated and disheartened with those who are given the task of guiding the Church and the direction of saving souls with the truth. Why so quiet? There are a few courageous ones who do speak up, they are usually the ones we all know via twitter, internet and speaking events.
I am asking and looking for the everyday Shepherds who we see day in and day out. Whose Mass we attend every day, whose homily we listen to with anticipation every day only to be so saddened at the missed opportunity to teach on our faith and to apply it to what is happening in today's culture. We, those who attend Mass, know that God loves us. We may not feel worthy of His love, but we know this. What many don't know is their need of catechesis and most of them only hear and get their knowledge in a homily. If there are no homilies on abortion and its mortal and grave consequences will they not look elsewhere for their belief system? After all, the priest doesn't speak against it. Homosexual unions, (marriage, not really) are never spoken about. Isn't is our calling as baptized Catholics to welcome them but they bring them to the truth and life of the teachings of Christ and that their sinning does not define them? Never hear that in church. How there are such a horrific number of children with no fathers, no family unit where they learn what it means to be a family, where boys learn how to be men by their fathers example and where they see the beauty of the marriage between a man and a woman. This is where there faith and identity start. No, we don't hear that either.
This is the Year of Mercy, where is the mercy? Is it mercy not to speak of sin and to show them how their lives can change with the grace and teachings of Jesus through the Catholic Church? This is Mercy, bringing them to the truth. Hiding behind Love isn't love it keeps those in sin, in slavery to evil. This is not Mercy. You only receive Christ's mercy when you receive the gift of grace that you have sinned and want to seek forgiveness through confession to be free to continue to walk in His Grace and be so overwhelmed that He was waiting for you the whole time. This is The Power of Mercy. It can only be experienced by the truth in all its raw power and life saving goodness.
A most eloquent homily on our need to grieve HIS Passion on Good Friday.
When Joseph was sent by his father to his brethren on a message of love, they, when they saw him, said, “Behold, this dreamer cometh; come now, therefore, and let us slay him.” (Gen. xxxvii. 19, 20) They did not kill him, however, but they put him in a pit in spite of the anguish of his soul, and sold him as a slave to the Ishmaelites, and he was taken down into a foreign country, where he had no friends.
Now this was most cruel and most cowardly in the sons of Jacob; and what is so especially shocking in it is, that Joseph was not only innocent and defenceless, their younger brother whom they ought to have protected, but besides that, he was so confiding and loving, that he need not have come to them, that he would not at all have been in their power, except for his desire to do them service.
Now, whom does this history remind us of but of Him concerning whom the Master of the vineyard said, on sending Him to the husbandmen, “They will reverence My Son”? (Matt. xxi. 37-39) “But when the husbandmen saw the Son, they said among themselves, This is the Heir, come, let us kill Him, and let us seize on His inheritance. And they caught Him, and cast Him out of the vineyard, and slew Him.”
And now, instead of taking the case of the young, innocent, and confiding, let us take another instance which will present to us our Lord’s passion under another aspect. Let us suppose that some aged and venerable person whom we have known as long as we could recollect any thing, and loved and reverenced, suppose such a one, who had often done us kindnesses, who had taught us, who had given us good advice, who had encouraged us, smiled on us, comforted us in trouble, whom we knew to be very good and religious, very holy, full of wisdom, full of heaven, with grey hairs and awful countenance, waiting for Almighty God’s summons to leave this world for a better place; suppose, I say, such a one whom we have ourselves known, and whose memory is dear to us, rudely seized by fierce men, stripped naked in public, insulted, driven about here and there, made a laughing-stock, struck, spit on, dressed up in other clothes in ridicule, then severely scourged on the back, then laden with some heavy load till he could carry it no longer, pulled and dragged about, and at last exposed with all his wounds to the gaze of a rude multitude who came and jeered him, what would be our feelings? Let us in our mind think of this person or that, and consider how we should be overwhelmed and pierced through and through by such a hideous occurrence.
But what is all this to the suffering of the holy Jesus, which we bear to read of as a matter of course! Only think of Him, when in His wounded state, and without garment on. . .view Him dying, hour after hour bleeding to death; and how? in peace? no; with His arms stretched out, and His face exposed to view, and any one who pleased coming and staring at Him, mocking Him, and watching the gradual ebbing of His strength, and the approach of death.
These are some of the appalling details which the Gospels contain, and surely they were not recorded for nothing; but that we might dwell on them. Do you think that those who saw these things had much heart for eating or drinking or enjoying themselves? On the contrary, we are told that even “the people who came together to that sight, smote their breasts and returned.” (Luke xxiii. 48)
Crucifixion with Mary Magdalene by Luca Signorelli, c. 1500 [Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy] Click to expand
If these were the feelings of the people, what were St. John’s feelings, or St. Mary Magdalene’s, or St. Mary’s, our Lord’s blessed mother? Do we desire to be of this company? do we desire, according to His own promise, to be rather blessed than the womb that bare Him, and the paps that He sucked? do we desire to be as His brother, and sister, and mother?
I can understand people who do not keep Good Friday at all; they are indeed very ungrateful, but I know what they mean; I understand them. But I do not understand at all, I do not at all see what men mean who do profess to keep it, yet do not sorrow, or at least try to sorrow. Such a spirit of grief and lamentation is expressly mentioned in Scripture as a characteristic of those who turn to Christ. If then we do not sorrow, have we turned to Him?
If there be persons here present who are conscious to themselves that they do not feel the grief which this season should cause them, who feel now as they do at other times, let them consider with themselves whether perhaps this defect does not arise from their having neglected to come to church, whether during this season or at other times, as often as they might.
Our feelings are not in our own power; God alone can rule our feelings; God alone can make us sorrow, when we would but cannot sorrow; but will He, if we have not diligently sought Him according to our opportunities in this house of grace? I speak of those who might come to prayers more frequently, and do not. I know well that many cannot come. I speak of those who can, if they will.
Even if they come as often as they are able, I know well they will not be satisfied with their own feelings; they will be conscious even then that they ought to grieve more than they do; of course none of us feels the great event of this day as he ought, and therefore we all ought to be dissatisfied with ourselves.
However, if this is not our own fault, we need not be out of heart, for God will mercifully lead us forward in His own time; but if it arises from our not coming to prayers here as often as we might, then our coldness and deadness are our own fault, and I beg you all to consider that that fault is not a slight one.
We, my, brethren, every one of us, shall one day rise from our graves, and see Jesus Christ; we shall see Him who hung on the cross, we shall see His wounds, we shall see the marks in His hands, and in His feet, and in His side. Do we wish to be of those, then, who wail and lament, or of those who rejoice? If we would not lament at the sight of Him then, we must lament at the thought of Him now.
Let us prepare to meet our God; let us come into His Presence whenever we can; let us try to fancy as if we saw the Cross and Him upon it; let us draw near to it; let us beg Him to look on us as He did on the penitent thief, and let us say to Him, “Lord remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.” (Luke xxiii. 42)
Let this be added to the prayer, my brethren, with which you are about to leave this church. . . .fancy you see Jesus Christ on the cross, and say to Him with the penitent thief, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom;” that is, “Remember me, Lord, in mercy, remember not my sins, but Thine own cross; remember Thine own sufferings, remember that Thou sufferedst for me, a sinner; remember in the last day that I, during my lifetime, felt Thy sufferings, that I suffered on my cross by Thy side. Remember me then, and make me remember Thee now.”
I will fast this lent. But not by giving up, but by offering up. I will fast from complaining, I will fast from gossip, I will fast from temper, I will fast from anxiety, I will fast from selfishness and pursue this beyond and every day in the hope of creating a cleaner soul. Create in me a clean heart O God.
Hail Mary and The March for Life In saying the Hail Mary during the Rosary this evening, I was reminded of the March for Life this weekend, a March to end abortion, an evil that persists. The Hail Mary can be a prayer for the woman contemplating abortion for her child. She can make it her own. Blessed is the fruit of Mary's womb, Jesus. Mary's womb, carrying our Lord. Mary is the Mother of Life, pregnant as Our Lady of Guadalupe chose to appear to the world. May all women that may contemplate abortion turn to The Blessed Mother for strength, protection and may she be surrounded by those who will help her choose life. Hail Mary Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen
Woman, full of dignity and the daughter of Our Lord, Blessed are you that has the gift of life in your womb, Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for them to choose life. Now and forever. Amen
